EPSRC

EPSRC, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, is a United Kingdom government-funded agency responsible for funding research and training in engineering and the physical sciences. It is a council within UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the national body that coordinates government funding of research and innovation in the UK.

The council funds basic, strategic, and applied research across disciplines such as civil, mechanical, chemical, and environmental engineering; mathematics; computer science; physics; materials science; and related areas. It also supports interdisciplinary research and the training of researchers, including doctoral and early-career schemes, as well as research infrastructure and capital equipment where needed.

Funding is awarded through competitive, peer-reviewed calls, and EPSRC offers fellowships, studentships, and centers for doctoral training. It aims to foster collaboration with industry and international partners and to fund projects with potential economic and societal impact.

Governance is provided by a council drawn from academia and industry, with an executive team and program boards that oversee funding streams. EPSRC was established in 1994 as a successor to the Science and Engineering Research Council and became part of UKRI in 2018. Its remit covers engineering and physical sciences research and is designed to build scientific capacity, drive technological innovation, and support high-quality training for researchers and engineers in the UK.